David Bintley on Desmond Kelly

The Company Director praised Desmond, saying: 'Desmond's achievements as Assistant Director have come directly from the strength of his achievements as a dancer. He has been able to pass on a wealth of essential first-hand experience amassed from working directly with several generations of great choreographers: De Valois, Ashton, Balanchine, MacMillan, the list goes on. These people shaped ballet today and, with his direct understanding of the work of these influential figures, Desmond has been an invaluable link with them for so many members of Birmingham Royal Ballet, past and present.'

As a live artform, ballet has historically relied heavily upon first-hand accounts of those who have danced pieces previously, with effective recording methods only becoming available relatively recently. While developments like Benesh notation now allow pieces to be recorded simply and comprehensively, there is still no substitute for personal experience.

Interviewed in 2005 while rehearsing a piece by Kenneth MacMillan, Desmond spoke of the importance of being able to pass on his knowledge of so many important works.

'David [Bintley], Marion [Tait], Denis [Bonner] and myself, we all have been rehearsed by Kenneth MacMillan, and then we've passed it on to the next generation, still with Kenneth in the background, so I suppose we're bridges, aren’t we? Passing it on to the next generation. And I hope they'll be teachers one day and pass it on to the next generation.'

Interviewed again in 2006, he added: 'I always say that whatever I did in my past dancing days, was a preparation for what I'm doing now. I may not have realised it, but now that I teach and coach, that work I did then was all headed towards what I’m doing today. And, I was very lucky, with David, their trust and this position and to be able to bring what I did in the past to a new generation. While I was dancing, I thought 'Oh, this is it, this is what I really love', but in retrospect, I now realise that this is the more important job!'

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